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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23856310">Come Sit By the Fire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAsexualofSpades/pseuds/TheAsexualofSpades'>TheAsexualofSpades</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Quarantine Drabbles [33]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Frisk remembers the resets, Gen, Grillby fought in the war against humans, Hurt/Comfort, Nonbinary Frisk (Undertale), Sans remembers the resets</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:47:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,286</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23856310</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAsexualofSpades/pseuds/TheAsexualofSpades</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Frisk went through the Underground countless times. Sometimes they got things right, sometimes they got things wrong. </p><p>They got everything right and they're not going back. That doesn't mean they don't remember when everything went wrong.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Asgore Dreemurr &amp; Frisk, Frisk &amp; Grillby (Undertale), Frisk &amp; Papyrus (Undertale), Frisk &amp; Sans (Undertale), Frisk &amp; Toriel (Undertale), Frisk &amp; Undyne (Undertale)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Quarantine Drabbles [33]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677655</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>86</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Come Sit By the Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>grillby is the best fire dad</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fandom: Undertale</p><p>Prompt: “Please talk to me about it.”</p>
<hr/><p>Frisk has so many good memories of their friends.</p><p> </p><p>Small children love to be thrown into soft things, Alphys had explained, it helps their sense of balance calibrate properly. Undyne, of course, latched onto this piece of information and took every opportunity to launch Frisk into piles of pillows and Papyrus’ arms. When Papyrus needed to practice blue magic and Frisk was in a giggly mood, the easiest way to find them was ‘follow the floating child.’</p><p> </p><p>Papyrus, after getting to the surface, quickly stumbled upon cooking classes, and the vast human collection of pasta, the quality of his cooking improving immensely. Frisk still remembers the day he got hired by an Italian restaurant in the nearby town. The skeleton’s glee radiated to the entire monster community, given it was one of the first steps towards cohabitation with humans.</p><p> </p><p>Toriel and Asgore did not fully reconcile their relationship, but they were good friends. Frisk still remembers the day they went over to Asgore’s new home for the first time. The flowers reach taller than them, arcing over their heads in wonderfully vaulted ceilings of delicate petals. The smell of Toriel’s baking still makes their mouth water from across town.</p><p> </p><p>Sans loves stars. The top of the mountain is far enough away from the surrounding human cities to offer crystal clear views of the galaxy when the skies aren’t cloudy. Sans’ eye glowed green the first time they went up to the observation point. The stars cast their light down on them, stretching their auras down from the heavens to the two little figures. Sans’ smile looked real that night.</p><p> </p><p>Mettaton’s first performance was a delight. Napstablook’s music, the dancing, and who knew Burgerpants was suchgood DJ? He’s got his own music label now! Frisk still has their copy of his first release with the promise of more to come.</p><p> </p><p>Yeah, Frisk has a lot of good memories.</p><p> </p><p>That’s because they got it right this time.</p><p> </p><p>They have other memories from when they didn’t.</p><p> </p><p>They can still see Toriel’s frightened face when her fire sears through their sweater.</p><p> </p><p>They can still see the glint of Undyne’s spears and the ferocity in her eye.</p><p> </p><p>They can still feel the chill of the cold shed Papyrus locked them in after the fight.</p><p> </p><p>They can still see Asgore towering over them, trident at the ready.</p><p> </p><p>They can still feel the dust caking the ground, the weight of the knife in their hand growing lighter and lighter.</p><p> </p><p>They still jump at the flowers sometimes.</p><p> </p><p>They still catch Sans looking at them funny.</p><p> </p><p>On these days they don’t want to stay home, surrounded by the people they love and who they know love them back. They’re too scared to go into the kitchen. They don’t want to go to the roof. They can’t stay inside.</p><p> </p><p>Other monsters aren’t easy to be around during this time either, but it’s easier being around the ones they never saw during the times where they got it so wrong. Most of Snowdin’s populations stuck close to the summit of the mountain, where it stays cold. Frisk walks amongst the buildings and looks.</p><p> </p><p>Snow falls. Their footsteps are quiet. Monsters bustle about, waving hello to Frisk but mostly going about their own business. It’s still early, which means there aren’t a lot of people at home relaxing. Everyone is out doing the errands, or at work, or playing outside.</p><p> </p><p>Frisk doesn’t like being around a lot of people on these days.</p><p> </p><p>There is one place they can go where they are sure they will not hurt anybody. When they got everything wrong, it was always empty, no one was ever there. They like this. It means even if it came down to it, there would be one person who they did not know how to fight. This person knows how to survive a human.</p><p> </p><p>Grillby’s restaurant and bar is near the center of the Monster Town, just on the edge of the cold and the warm. There aren’t many monsters around and no one inside. Everyone must be busy. Frisk can see the faint glow of the fire monster from outside.</p><p> </p><p>Grillby has said it’s okay for Frisk to come inside whenever they like. The warmth of the restaurant washes over them as the bell jingles. Grillby looks up, giving Frisk a little wave before returning to reshaping the glass in his hands. Watching the glass mold and stretch and flatten under Grillby’s hands has an almost meditative quality. Frisk clambers onto a barstool and settles their chin on their hands.</p><p> </p><p>Grillby’s flame crackles softly, little sparks popping off the top of his head. It takes Frisk a few moments to realize Grillby has set the glass down and is watching them curiously. Frisk blushes. They didn’t mean to stare.</p><p> </p><p>Grillby sets the glass aside, reaching behind him for a mug. He holds it out to Frisk in offering. Grillby’s hot chocolate is incredible, but the thought of the drink turns Frisk’s stomach in an uncomfortable way. Something about the richness settles too heavily in them. Instead, Frisk points to the container of lemon ginger tea.</p><p> </p><p>The water is never too hot when Grillby gives them tea. The fire monster’s control over his temperature is too sophisticated. The tea soothes their stomach as Frisk drinks. They close their eyes, enjoying the comforting sensation. When they open them again, Grillby hasn’t gone back to fixing the glass. Instead, he’s still staring at them.</p><p> </p><p>It’s funny, some part of Frisk’s brain remarks, how similar the two of them are sometimes. They shouldn’t have that much in common, should they? Yet the comfort Grillby can provide is something that no one else seems to understand.</p><p> </p><p>Frisk cups their hands around the warm mug. The warmth runs gently up their arms through their palms, reaching into their chest to start unraveling the knots. They don’t trust themselves to ask for hugs on days like this, so they take what little bits they can get.</p><p> </p><p>Grillby sets the towel aside, reaching to slowly roll the sleeves of his shirt up past his elbows. When he finishes, he reaches forward, telegraphing his movements so Frisk has enough time to stop him. His hands settle carefully over Frisk’s much smaller ones, cupping the mug more snugly. It never burns. It’s just pleasantly warm.</p><p> </p><p>Frisk sniffles.</p><p> </p><p>Grillby reaches for the towel, tenderly wiping the tears from Frisk’s cheeks. He never does anything else. Grillby is safe. Grillby won’t hurt them. Grillby never hurts them. The towel is soft against their skin. Their tears don’t hurt Grillby. They can’t hurt Grillby. Grillby is safe.</p><p> </p><p>They don’t see Grillby in the ones where they get everything wrong, but Grillby only talked to them when they got it right. Frisk remembers the surge of pride when they walked into Grillby’s bar on their trip back through the Underground. The fire monster had leaned over the bar. The bird monster next to them that served as his translator didn’t say anything.</p><p> </p><p>“………………………………good job.”</p><p> </p><p>Grillby’s voice doesn’t sound like anyone else’s. It’s low, like Sans and Asgore’s but it’s richer. It rumbles in ways that the others’ don’t. He gives Frisk’s hands a squeeze.</p><p> </p><p>“Please,” Grillby says, “talk to me about it.”</p><p> </p><p>Grillby understands.</p><p> </p><p>Frisk will go home with a little bag of fries and the faint smell of wood smoke in their hair. Sans will give them a warm hug. Toriel will cook them the rest of their dinner. Papyrus and Undyne will each talk about the exciting things they’ve done today. Asgore with sit with them on the porch and talk about his flowers.</p><p> </p><p>Life will go on.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! Come yell at me on tumblr while we're all in quarantine. </p><p>https://a-small-batch-of-dragons.tumblr.com/</p></blockquote></div></div>
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